Hello Readers,
Now-a-days there is a cut-throat competition for getting a banking job because of which every aspirant who wishes to see himself or herself as a professional banker possesses some unique qualities and intelligence.
So it is the need of the hour to be a master in all the section of banking exam.
Here in this article we will discuss the strategy to master English section.
“Build on your strengths, work on your weakness”-Minh Tan
PURPOSE:- We should know that the main purpose of this section is to test the candidate’s English language skills and proficiency. Questions will be asked on English vocabulary, grammar, fill in the blanks, sentence completion, synonyms & antonyms, jumbled sentences, error & rectification, prepositions, etc.
SOLUTION:
THE MASTER STRATEGY:-
- The best way to prepare for this section is to work on the basics of English language and grammar and to brush up on those skills.
- The vital tool to deal this section is “TIME MANAGEMENT”. You need to answer 25-30 questions in just 15-20 minutes.
- You need to gain accuracy and speed by daily practicing this section with a “STOP WATCH”. You should try to solve at least two section tests and one mock test every day till the day of the exam.
- Spend time studying basic rules of Grammar from the book Wren & Martin. These rules will help you crack many topics in the paper. Unlike Vocabulary, the rules and concepts are often repeated. So if you practice enough, you will likely secure 5-10 marks in the paper.
- Go through commonly asked Word Lists and try to revise their meanings for the vocabulary section.
- Pick the questions you faced difficulty with from past papers or current banking magazines like Pratiyogita Darpan or Banking Service Chronicle and solve them by timing yourself.
- It is advisable if you start with the Vocabulary section first as you can get several marks in one go. Also it is the fastest to get through.
- Get to the Reading Comprehension section next. After a quick reading make sure to attempt the fact and vocab based questions in the RC before you attempt the theme/main idea based questions.
- The Verbal Ability section should come next because it is relatively easy and scoring. If your Grammar is weak, attempt it last as it might be a little tricky and hence time consuming.
- Read THE HINDU newspaper on a daily basis. This will really help those candidates who need help and improvement with their written and spoken English skills.
The English Section for the Banking exam can be broadly divided into 4 parts as given below:-
- Vocabulary
- Grammar
- Reading Comprehension
- Verbal Ability
We have come up with individual strategies for each section which are as follows:-
I. VOCABULARY:-
- You will find direct questions on the following topics in both Prelims and Mains exams.
- Cloze Test (5 or 10 blank passage)
- Fill in the Blanks (double blanks)
- Error Spotting
- Word Association
- Pair Phrase or Idiom Meaning
- Spellings
- To build your vocabulary you have to act smartly. Every new thing that you read, whether it be a newspaper or an article or a book, you will come across so many important words just jolt down in your vocabulary notebook and make sure whenever you come across a new word look it up in a dictionary or Google it. Keep a NOTEBOOK where you note down its meaning, synonyms, antonyms and its usage. Later, try to use these words in sentences of your own to revise the meanings. This practice has the added advantage of helping you enhance your understanding of the context of the passage for Reading Comprehension or Cloze Test.
- Solve the Vocabulary sections from previous years’ papers and time yourself to understand where you would stand at your current level of preparation. Also it will help you understand what levels of words are being tested. This is important as unlike Grammar rules, which are limited, Vocabulary is an infinitely vast subject. The best you can and should do is prepared at the level that is being tested.
- Read the GRADEUP study notes to understand contextual usage.
- Try out Mnemonic Techniques to remember vocabulary. This is an incredibly powerful way to quickly remember the meanings of often asked words in the exam. Relate the words and their meanings with images and some story.
- Practice Vocab questions on GRADEUP APP every day. Bookmark the questions that you got wrong and practise them later to achieve accuracy. Solve questions on Synonyms & Antonyms, Word Association Pair to increase the knowledge of words.
- Go through blogs on Grade Satck website or Grade Up app to find articles on Vocabulary like Easily Confused Words for e.g. “Then & Than”.
- Practice sectional tests of English every day. Chart your growth through your analysis. Practice daily by using STOP WATCH. It helps to see an improvement in your performance and daily analysis will help you in understanding contextual usage and figuring out meanings you didn’t even know.
II.GRAMMAR:-
There are two main topics in Grammar on which questions are asked in both Prelims and Main exams.
- Error Spotting
- Phrase Replacement
1.Error Spotting
This is a question that is usually asked in the examination. A sentence will be provided, and an error has to be identified in the given sentence. Practising will be of great help to be able to solve these kind of questions with ease.
2.Phrase Replacement
This is similar to the Error & Rectification type of question, but is easier. In this type of question, a sentence will be provided, and a portion of the sentence will be underlined. The requirement will be to choose the correct substitution for the underlined part of the sentence given, from the options available.
III.VERBAL ABILITY:-
- This section consists of a 6 sentence Para jumble with 5 questions based on it.
- There might be questions where you need to complete a sentence understanding the context of the sentence.
- This is a relatively easy section and you can practise these questions occasionally from the GRADE UP app or any banking magazine.
- Follow the logic of the passage while answering these questions. Always keep in mind the overall story, as the passage will always tell you a story with a definite beginning, middle and end.
- Look for connecting words like conjunctions that will help you link the story well.
IV.READING COMPREHENSION (RC):-
- Reading Comprehension is a lengthy, time consuming but a scoring area. You can score upto 10-12 marks in this area by answering the questions based on a passage.
- In RC the passage will likely be based on topics like
- Banking & Economy,
- Social Issues
- Business
- Science and Technology
- Art and Culture
- Sports
- and World’s important events etc.
The good thing is that the questions will be directly based on the content of the passage. But you must be alert while choosing the correct option as the options are, sometimes, very similar.
- The questions will be mainly Fact-Based and Vocabulary based. Some questions can also be asked on the Main Idea & Theme of Passage. You may also be asked to draw Inferences based on your understanding of the passage.
- The passages are of medium length, thus the habit of reading fast and understanding the intent of the passage needs to be developed to minimise the time and maximise the output.
- Practice one comprehension question daily from questions available on the GRADE UP app or from any bank exam magazine or previous years practice papers. Constant practice will help you achieve accuracy and minimise the time required.
- Go through tips told here to minimise your mistakes while solving RC.
- Practice comprehensions from various topics because you never know what kind of topic you are going to face in the paper.
Our recommendation:- Books, Newspaper and magazines
- English Grammar (Wren and Martin)
- Word Power Made Easy (Norman Lewis)
- THE HINDU NEWS PAPER
- BSC BANKING SERVICE CHRONICLE MAGAZINE
- PRATIYOGITA DARPAN MAGAZINE
Wish you all the best for your upcoming exams!
Sanjay Mishra
Manager
Indian Bank
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